was meeting india's prime minister yesterday. indian officials tried to let five american journalists into the meeting. that's when gibbs put his foot down. >> yeah. that's right. that's right! >> didn't happen quite like that. >> that's not how he did it on tv? >> no. >> okay. that was quite colorful. >> it was. any mention's a good mention. >> nice to have you with us today. >> always a pleasure. >> your show 1:00 eastern time live from new york, as well. taking the jet pack back to atlanta? >> i'll be staying here. thanks a million. >> that does it for us right now. the news continues with fredericka whitfield. hey, fred. >> hello to both of you. ali, see you later on this afternoon. 9:00 a.m. on the east coast. 6:00 a.m. out west. i'm fredericka whitfield in for kyra phillips this morning. here's what has us talking? today is veterans day, a time to honor the generations of american that is served and

sacrificed in the nation's military. there will be a full day of remembrances at arlington national cemetery in virginia. vice president biden will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. pentagon says all evidence now points to an aircraft leaving this mysterious streak across the sky in southern california on monday. many people have speculated that it was a rocket launch of some kind. the pentagon has denied that from the very beginning. and just about six hours from now, a hazy view right now, but that ship the crippled cruise ship carnival "splendor" due to arrive in san diego right now. an electrical fire left 4,500 on board without air conditioning or hot showers. president obama is in south korea on this veterans day and remembering the so-called forgotten war. the president praised members of the audience who fought in the korean conflict and u.s. troops who stand guard today at the

border. he reminded americans to honor those that protect their freedom around the world. >> now on this day, we honor every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of the united states of america. we salute fallen heroes. and keep in our prayers those who are still in harm's way. like the men and women serving in iraq and afghanistan. so i want all of you to know when you come home your country's going to be there for you. that is the commitment i make to you as commander in chief. that is the sacred trust between the united states of america and all who defend his ideals. >> also this morning, the president is dealing with a setback on a new trade deal with south korea. and tens of thousands of new u.s. jobs could be hanging in the balance. cnn's dan lothian has this report from the capital city of

seoul. >> reporter: well, fred, this is a day of president obama and bilateral meetings with the leaders of china, south korea and germany, topping the discussion currency and trade issues. one deal that will not get done, the south korean trade deal with the united states. both sides sitting down and saying that they could not get this done in the next few hours. president obama saying that this should be given more time, that hopefully it will get done in the next few weeks, not months. this is very important for the u.s. because president obama sees this as a way to extend global markets to u.s. goods and create thousands of jobs on the home front. mr. obama saying that this is a win-win situation for both sides. >> we believe that such an agreement if done right can be a win-win for our people. it could be a win for the united states because it would increase the export of american goods by some $10 billion and billions more in services, supporting

more than 70,000 jobs back home. >> reporter: one u.s. official says they're making progress but that this is a very complicated negotiation process. however, he remained optimistic saying that they're closer to the end than to the beginning. fred? >> all right. thanks so much, dan lothian there in seoul. as the u.s. draws down the military forces in iraq, the civilian government has made a major stride in plotting its future course. leaders there have formed a new power sharing agreement that ends more than eight movants of political stalemate. the deal was struck yesterday after three days of talks between rival factions and supporters say it will prevent any one group from abusing power. iraq's president and prime minister will both keep their jobs and today leaders will choose the speaker of parliament. last week, americans cast their votes in the midterm elections in this country and anger over the national deficit was a driving factor. well, now, a presidential commission is suggesting ways to cut washington spending and just

about every american may feel the pain. here's some new proposals. reduce tax breaks. such as the deduction for your mortgage interest. raise the social security retirement age to 68 years old. and slash military spending both political parties are blasting the proposals but supporters say it's time to make sacrifices. >> we're clearly on an unsustainable path. we can't grow our way out of this problem. we can't tax our way out of it. we can't cut our way out of it. we tried to take $4 trillion out of a budget so we cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years. >> all right. christine romans is part of the cnn money team and joins us from new york with a closer look. so how possible are we talking with these things actually taking action, especially deductions on your mortgage interest? >> i know. well, one of the proposals has the deduction of your mortgage

interest for loans that are more than $500,000 or for second homes. so, maybe lower middle class and middle class people would not be hurt by that overall but the basically the tradeoff here, fred, is simpler tax code and lower income tax rates and the lower deductions. look at the table from the commission. 15-cent increase in the gas tax to help pay for transportation needs in this country. for the military, cutting military bases overseas by one third. that would be big cuts, about $100 billion in cuts to the military budget. the federal work force, eliminating 10% of the federal work force. one of the recommendations in there is for every three people who retire or leave the federal work force, replace two of the positions. that would be a very big, big move for a lot of people. also, just freezing spending for federal workers, freezing salaries in the military.

all kinds of different things on the table here but the bottom line, fred, the commission says there's going to have to be pain shared around the country to try to pay off the $14 trillion we have already spent, that's the national debt, and to make sure we get deficits under control. in our lifetime. >> and so the likelihood of these things happening, when's the process? >> well, this is the draft of a proposal so let's be honest. this is the president's commission. this is the first move in a complicated chess game to go from here so this is now all open for negotiation. and this commission, 14 of the 18 members have to agree on something to present to congress and the president. but the knives are already out. nancy pelosi, house speaker, says this is simply unacceptable. that's what she says about what she's seen so far. progressives and the left concerned about tinkering with social security and raising that social security age by the year 2050 to 69 for full benefits.

dick durbin says there's things in there that i hate like the devil hates holy water and republicans oppose raising taxes and some tax increases in there once you take away some of those tax deduction that is are very, very favorable we're all so used to that means tax bills for some people could go up. so you're going to hear the political maneuvering now begin but the president was asked about this, fred. he said let's not shoot anything down just yet. we have a big deficit issue to tackle. put it all on the table. >> he was asked about that while in south korea so while abroad domestic matters very close at hand for him. thanks so much. appreciate that. >> you're welcome. all right. let's talk more about politics. the counting of write-in votes in alaska and that is the nation's last count under way. still undecided. the senate race. incumbent and write-in candidate lisa murkowski locked in a battle with republican candidate joe miller.

almost 70% of the votes called clear votes for murkowski. cnn political producer shannon travis is covering the vote count and he'll be joining us live in the next hour and the update from alaska. minnesota congresswoman michelle bachmann dropped the bid for chair. the house republican conference elects party leaders at the beginning of each congress. she and henserling seeking support. he got more backing from top gop names. all right. last night's college football game between miami of ohio and bowling green was pretty close one. if you could actually watch what was going on. the skies were clear at kickoff and then this fog rolled in. it got so thick in the fourth quarter that it was nearly impossible to see unless you

were, of course, on the field. in case you missed it, miami won 24-21. more like in case you couldn't see it. you couldn't see the score board. >> we'll have to take your word for it. >> that's right. >> good morning. >> hey, how are you doing? >> good. we have some fog in the same area. >> residual fog. >> lake erie. getting a little bit of flow off the great lakes there and then through parts of northern ohio and defiance and bowling green. you are seeing some fog right now. but that will be lifting. pretty dry air a little bit later on today. up just above the surface there. 70 degrees for a high temperature in rockford, illinois. waterloo, iowa. 69. records or tied records. minneapolis with 68 degrees and international falls, typically refer to it as the icebox of the count country. not yesterday. cold front separating the warm and cold air. a little bit of rain slicing

back through the heartland and then some snow, yeah. denver. probably seeing a couple of inches of snow here in denver downtown proper. higher elevations seeing more, especially across the front range. but general weather pattern is this. record warmth. 15 to 20-degree temperatures above average in the southeast and near record-breaking cold temperatures. this trough and ridge pattern will keep that sort of weather in place for another day or two. and on top of that, a little bit of santa ana winds blowing across parts of the southern california area. won't heat up tremendously today. maybe tomorrow. but it will be on the breezy side. temperatures looking like this. 71 in l.a. 60 degrees in kansas city. 36 in denver. meanwhile, 80 degrees in memphis and 80 degrees expected in houston. so a little bit of indian summer. the first cool, shot of fall

air. >> cozy for a second. southern california, 71 in los angeles area meaning san diego, maybe a degree or two a little warmer. >> are you heading there? >> thinking about the folks on the ship. >> oh yeah, yeah. >> just stuck. kind of. i mean, being towed to shore to san diego. but, you know, getting in the car and a bus apparently and then head back to long beach because that's where, you know, the port is for most of them originating port. but anyway -- >> odd to see it dead in the water. >> i know. it is something. you know what in they'll get vouchers. they'll get their refunds so maybe it's not all that bad. we are going to hope to hear from some of the passengers on board to find out how irate were they or are they? good to see you. much more on that predicament right after this. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ]

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a team of tug boats is slowly towing a powerless cruise ship closer to the san diego shore, and we're about to watch it live right there. carnival "splendor" on pace to

dock today and the people on board have the california coast in sight. it's been almost four days since an engine fire cut power to this gigantic ship that means since monday it's been spam instead of caviar, pop tarts instead of pastries and hour after hour of darkness. but the disaster voyage is expected to end this afternoon and rachel bianco from the san diego affiliate kgtv is on the water and hopefully she's able to hear us by cell phone so, rachel, give us an idea, what happens once it docks, then what? >> reporter: good morning. you can imagine how excited these passengers must be to see the san diego skyline. it's a beautiful morning here. the water's calm. the "splendor" probably between five and seven miles from where we are. we are on a boat in the middle of the bay traveling four to five miles an hour. right now on course to arrive in the port sometime around 8:00 this morning.

this is the first time that tug boats have actually pulled a ship of this size that has no power into the san diego terminal. as you know, several tug boats, six of them out there right now. they're also two coast guard cutters and another coast guard vessel keeps an eye on the ship. very lengthy and slow process and should be able to maneuver it through the channel just fine. we have several cruise ships in the port on any given day but not one of this size and a nightmare stories likely from the passengers. we have 3,500 passengers, many of them have been in the dark for the inner cabins, pitch darkness. as you mentioned, of course, i think the spam is notorious as what's been on their menu and definitely a rough few days for these people. >> so any idea how receptive people are to this refund and that they will get vouchers? have you heard anything from any of the passengers about whether

they're happy about that trade-off? >> reporter: i think it depends on who you talk to. we have talked to a number of people on the phone. we had a couple on there for their honeymoon. you can imagine how devastating for them. they'll get a refund and free cruise later and the travel costs reimbursed. for some people getting the time off is harder than anything else and heard some stories of people who have diabetes and they weren't able to, you know, maintain the diet they need. and then others say, they're going with the flow. a free trip later. played cards. still had live entertainment. really just been an adventure and we'll hear all kinds of stories and interesting to see how the passengers who haven't had a chance to shower in day, probably little sleep, arriving this morning and television cameras here to greet them. >> all right. well, hopefully they're just a few hours away now. midday east coast time they'll make their way to the shore and

then i understand it's a bus ride about two hours north before they finally really make it home. thanks so much, rach 'em bianco. bristol palin, still dancing and so is brandi and actress jennifer grey and talking to cnn's "larry king live." hear what bristol palin has to say about making it to the final four, next. dear corolla, it must be hard. you never considered making turn-by-turn navigation standard. if you want to talk about it.. call me when you get there. that is if you find there, since you don't have turn-by-turn navigation standard. the all-new chevrolet cruze. starting under $17,000. get used to more. qualified lessees can get a low mileage lease on a 2011 chevrolet cruze ls for around $169 a month.

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♪ okay. well, you know what? i hear wolf blitzer cuts a rug. he made a trip aboard the soul train, the host of cnn's "the situation room" greeted well wishers making the way inside the soul train awards show taping yesterday. blitzer, part of the best political team on television was a presenter and also one of the best dancers out there. but his lips were sealed about what we would eventually see on these awards. >> it's a surprise. i really can't talk a lot about it too much because the audience is going to be pretty happy when they see what i'm going to do. it's going to be fun. it won't be exactly "the situation room."

a different side of wolf. i was growing up in buffalo, new york. i remember vividly saturday mornings watching don corn kneel yus, my favorite groups, gladys night, the jackson 5, they were all there. all the kids were dancing. we had a lot of soul. it was very, very cool. that's why i'm here because soul train was part of my life. >> and wolf has a lot of soul. wait until you see what his presentation is like on the soul train award show. pumping it up? see the entire show on b.e.t. sunday, november 28th. you have to wait until then. the anticipation is very great. and speaking of awards, country music's biggest stars were honored last night. brad paisley serenaded an adoring audience and then got the entertainer of the year award at the cmas. ♪

and, yeah. don't rub your eyes, fix your glasses. that is actress gwyneth paltrow. she plays a country singer in "country strong" and sang the title song from the soundtrack. and bristol palin has danced her way all the way to the final four on "dancing with the stars." show told cnn's larry king live she kreds the success to her dancing partner, mark ballis. >> he's been so great with me. i was like, okay, i hope you have a lot of patience and he's had so much patience with me and he's really taken me out of michelle and given me extra confidence which i need to go in and perform. >> so for the full interview with "dancing with the stars," bristol palin and the rest of the final four couples watch "larry king live" tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific.

this is veterans day, a time to honor the men and women that served in the nation's military. there will be a full day of remembrances at arlington national cemetery in virginia and looking ahead to the morning's tributes in "the newsroom." >> how are you? >> awesome. awesome now. eed to keep their bodies strong. carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest

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the new york stock exchange paused to honor veterans this morning observing two minutes of silence just a moment ago and there's more love for vets as wall street gets set for the start of today's trading. there a tes bell. alison kosik joins us now. and pretty unique bell ringing taking place today, as well. >> there really was. you know, got to tell you. a nice warm welcome for veterans visiting the new york stock exchange today. all the traders stopped and gave them a nice, long round of applause as they entered the trading floor. up on the podium, ringing the opening bell, united states marine corps brigadier general steven bugsby. he's joined by other members of the armed forces, including legendary world war ii navajo

to code talkers. they were a group of about 400 men who created an unbreakable code and served in every major engagement from 1942 to the end of the war and today we honor all of our military veterans. as for the business of the day, because it is veterans day, we are expecting a very quiet day of trading. bond market is closed but stocks are open for business and we're already lower. the dow right now opening down 87 points. nasdaq also taking a hit, down 47 points. it is really going to take a hit. this is after cisco's weak forecast. fred? >> thanks so much. all right. meantime, let's check some story that is got us talking this morning. president obama and other world leaders attending the g-20 summit which opened today in seoul, south korea. expected to focus on currency policy and economic recovery and growth worldwide. and back in this country,

president obama's deficit commission is hammering out ways to bring spending under control and already members of congress are blasting it. the draft proposal includes cuts in social security and medicare benefits plus higher taxes. all designed to cut the deficit by over $4 trillion over the next decade. thousands of passengers aboard that crippled cruise ship should finally reach dry land today. the carnival "splendor" due to arrive in san diego this afternoon. it was stranded monday off the coast of mexico after an engine room fire. today is vet ranls day. a time to honor the generations of americans that served and sacrificed in the nation's military. there will be a full day of remembrances at arlington national cemetery in virginia. vice president biden will play a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns and at the world war ii

museum in new orleans, young people are being urged to reach out to the so-called greatest generation. next hour, we'll hear from a grade schooler and a world war ii vet who are taking part in that event. this morning, we want to tell you about a man whose courage in battle earned the highest decoration of valor. what's more, the first living recipient of the medal of honor since the vietnam war. he tells his story to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> the whole timeframe maybe lasted anywhere between like two minutes, three minutes and five or six lifetimes. i don't know. >> reporter: but in the two, three minutes, army staff sergeant gunta went from a self-described mediocre soldier to a hero. that october night, he was walking along a ridge line with other members of his unit, assigned to protect other soldiers as they were walking back to their base.

>> and single shot rang out. everybody started getting down behind cover. >> there's not just one of them and not ten of them. probably more than ten and they're really not that far away. >> actually watched the guy pulling the trigger aiming at you. >> it seems like your world is exploding in bullets and rpgs and everything. we looked and it was along the whole side. it was along, you know, our flank. >> reporter: hit eight times was the man in front walking point as the mill share says, sergeant josh brennan of mcfarland, wisconsin. he talked to his dad mike a few days before. >> he volunteered for that mission that day. >> reporter: on that ridgeline, josh was down severely wounded. gunta raced ahead into the face of taliban fire. >> he got to the front. he killed one of the guys that were dragging my team leader away. sergeant brennan. wounded another one. recovered sergeant brennan.

brought him back to an area to secure him and continue the fight. started the aid on him. for all intents and purposes, the amount of fire still going on in the con fliblgt at the time, he shouldn't be alive right now. >> reporter: gunta says he doesn't deserve the highest military award for heism. >> when i first heard they were putting me in for the medal of honor, i was -- i felt lost. i felt kind of angry. it came at such a price. it's very bittersweet. it's such a huge honor. it's a great thing. but it is a great thing that's come out at a personal loss to myself and so many other families. >> reporter: that is what you want people to know? >> absolutely. >> barbara starr joining us now from new york. very interesting. he said he felt lost and angry. what more did you tell you about how he's come to terms with all of this? >> extraordinarily modest.

he describes himself, fred, as a mediocre soldier and yet about to be awarded the nation's highest honor. he -- i asked him how he came to be in the u.s. army. and he told me that just a few years ago he was just out of high school. working a fast food job. in the midwest. mopping the floor one night, listening to the radio station and there was a commercial come down to the recruiting station. you'll get a free t-shirt. he thought, well, i'm not doing anything. i'll get a free t-shirt. he joined the army at that point and went off to this battle in october, 2007, in afghanistan. and next tuesday really will step into the pages of american history. he will stand next to president obama and receive the medal of honor. a very modest young man who says he's receiving this on behalf of his entire unit. fred? >> what a courageous young man. congratulations to him on this medal. sadly, at so much sacrifice, of course. barbara starr, thanks so much.

the u.s. army has aa graduated the first sikh soldier in 30 years to keep the turban and beard as required by his religion. he finished basic combat training in south carolina after he was sworn in as a u.s. citizen. he was granted an exception to the army's strict dress code because he speaks two indian languages and the military needs those skills. the 26-year-old will be a combat medic. new mexico's governor-elect does not want to take a page from arizona's immigration law. talking about republican susanna martinez in our political ticker. ♪ that's enough to stretch around the earth over 190 times. ♪ each brita filter can take

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all right. live pictures right now of the carnival "splendor," that cruise ship in trouble about 200 miles off coast. now less than four hours away from the san diego coast. and less than 15 miles from the san diego coast. 4,500 people on board a ship that has no power. they can't wait to get ashore. we're continuing to follow the developments there. that ship, that massive ship is being towed in to -- inland or to shore, to shore and of course keeping you posted along the way. all right. we are also following that undecided senate race in alaska on the political ticker this hour. senior political editor mark preston is at the cnnpolitics.com desk. what do you have for us, mark? >> hey, good morning, fred. well, i think this headline will say it all what's happening up

the anchorage daily news, 98% of write-in votes go to murkowski. this spells very bad news for the republican nominee joe miller. let's just get our viewers up to date. murkowski is an incumbent republican senator and lost the primary. decided to run as a write-in candidate. right now, the write-in votes seem to be going her way so our own shannon travis is up in juneau where this is taking place and the votes are counted and we'll hear more from him about what's going on and doesn't look good for joe miller, the republican nominee. lisa murkowski seems to be gaining ground. let's talk about don't ask, don't tell. of course, on veterans day, this is an issue that has a lot of talk, a lot of chatter in the military. the pentagon right now is reviewing about -- what should they do? repeal it? and of course, we don't know what's going to happen in the lame-duck session. will congress take it up?

there's a new statement out from a conservative gay group that is calling on the senate to actually repeal it. they say that this is part of being a republican, part of being a conservative. and they are trying to put pressure on their own, on republicans on capitol hill to try to repeal it. and let's close it with this right here. on john king usa, fred, there was some big news made last night from susanna martinez, the new mexico governor. she's going to be the first hispanic woman ever to be nominated for rather elected to be governor and she has come out, fred, and she said that she thinks president obama needs to focus on the economy but, also, she thinks that president obama needs to focus on the issue of illegal immigration. she herself said that we must secure our border. she goes on to say she doesn't support amnesty. very interesting comments from the incoming governor of new mexico. >> she's not necessarily on

board or in support of what neighbor arizona is doing either, right? >> no. she's been very outspoken about that, fred. you're absolutely right. she said she doesn't agree that driver's license should be issued and she really is -- this is her whole thought on the illegal immigration. people who are in the system that are doing it right should be rewarded and folks who have been doing it wrong should not necessarily be rewarded so expect to hear a lot from her certainly when she is sworn in this january and i believe the republican party will rely on her to talk about this issue and talking to hispanic voters. >> all right. mark preston, thanks so much. have a great morning. we'll have the next political update in one hour. and a reminder for all the latest political news, go to cnnpolitic cnnpolitics.come. "parker spitzer" has been challenging guests to come up with ways to cut the federal budget. so last night former reagan budget director david stockman offered his opinion.

>> what would you do with social security? >> well, unfortunately, it needs to be means tested. in other words, it is a $700 billion-year program. the heart of the budget. we will have to say to the better off elderly people already retired and this is -- will be seen as unfair but it's unavoidable. you will have to have your benefits means tested. >> explain what that means. >> we'll look at your private assets, we'll look at the private income and if they're above a certain level, let's say, $50,000 a year of private income, we will have a ratcheting back of your social security check in order as a contribution to solving this problem. >> social security will go more and will be focused upon those who need the money, not exclusively based on what you paid in? >> that's right. >> has been the equation until now. >> watch "parker spitzer" tonight 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. all right. we are flashing back to november 11th, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. that day, world war i officially

ended. europeans marked the anniversary with armistice day. we call it vet ranls day and use the day to honor all men and men who served in the u.s. armed forces. mom, new shoes?

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all right. live pictures one more time. you are seeing here that carnival "splendor" cruise shim with 4,500 people on board being towed to shore in about -- under four hours from now. it will be towed into san diego port there. folks have been without hot water, without electricity since monday, pretty miserable but the misery ends just hours from now. all right. getting enough shut eye, our morning passport takes us to new castle, england, where a high school decided the best way to improve student performance to let them sleep longer. first, this is a cutting-edge school.

take a look at the building. somewhere in there. there you go. this is the high school and pretty cool looking. the school day from 10:00 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. many students sleep in as late as 8:00 and sometimes 9:00 and get to school well rested. at least that's the 9:00. that's the idea. the late start time was influenced by research suggesting that teens have a biological predisposition to go to bed late and get up late, and they perform better from mid morning to mid afternoon. the kids are loving the idea but not the parents. >> a like it. >> reporter: are you getting nine hours of sleep? >> no. >> reporter: you're staying up later, still? >> um, yeah, well. even when i go to bed a bit early, i sit up and watch the tele. >> ridiculous. how do you expect children to get into a routine when they

come to school later. when they start work, they will be starting work late, 9:00 a.m. >> the district shows that school attendance is up and so are math and english test scores. still in the uk, finally here. the latest harry potter movie will premiere tonight. it's the seventh film in the harry potter series. fans are expected to turn out to see dan yell radcliffe and company. the movie hits here tos next week. if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck!

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♪ they're playing basketball ♪ we love that basketball we're going to play a little hoops. >> so, fred, how are you? want to talk sports? >> let's do it. >> you want to rock a little sports and dance a little dougie and wolf blitzer. how does all this make sense? >> i don't know if i can do the dougie. i think of soul train awards and this move. >> let's start with the basketball. there's this incredible rookie

that has taken the lead. there are two but we're going to feature john wall, the standout rookie for the washington wizards. that's your neck of the woods? >> yes. of course, i remember the bulls. it's the wizards. new name. >> he's going like gangbusters right now. last night 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, the kind of stat line we're used to seeing from the great magic johnson and a few others. lebron is starting to get to that category. if you are asking, tony, you're featuring john wall on the program a lot of late. there's a reason. last week, he made his d.c. debut for the wizards, and roll the tape. this is how he introduced himself to the d.c. crowd. yes, and to the sports nation, right? >> he's not shy. >> with the dougie. why are we running this again?

flash forward to last night, and rolling in pictures of the great wolf blitzer, please. wolf blitzer last night at the soul train awards here in atlanta. he was on our program promoting the fact he was going to be there, and i told him by hook or crook i was going to get tickets to support him. so i made it there last night. >> what did you get to see? >> all i'm going to say to you is this, when the soul train awards program hits the air in a week or so, you have to watch it. our friends at b.e.t. are airing the program. >> why? >> tyler perry, steve harvey, the reverend jesse jackson, anita baker. >> she got a special award, in fact? >> right, superstars, terence howard, so our man wolf blitzer shuts down the show.

>> oh, my gosh. >> that's it. >> he's huge. >> i'm just telling you to watch the program. wolf blitzer on stage at the soul train awards. >> it's exciting. >> must-see television. he shuts down the show, fred. >> i am not surprised. >> and on that note oh hoe. >> if wolf is it a part of anything opinion. >> here we go. this is a little tease moment. >> go, wolf, go wolf. >> a little tease moment, right? i am feeling so good about this moment that we're having here together, fred, i will dance off the set in honor of wolf, but all i'm saying to you is wolf shuts down the show. >> wolf rocks the house. >> see you in an hour. >> i cannot wait until november 28th. that's when it's on, on b.e.t., the soul train music awards. >> got to go. >> bye bye. tony will be here an hour from now in the newsroom but for now,

you're stuck with me. almost 10:00 a.m. on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. i'm frederica whitfield in for kyra phillips. today is veterans day, a time to honor the generations of americans who served and sacrificed in the nation's military, but some of those veterans are not claiming money that's rightfully owed to them. chris lawrence will join us with more on that. in alaska, election officials have begun counting the cite-in votes of the bitterly fought senate race. so far, nearly 90% of the ballots counted are considered clear votes for lisa murkowski. her opponent joe miller had filed a legal challenge over how accurate the spells had to be in writing murkowski's name. the crippled carnival "splendor" is now eight miles from san diego, and due to an engine fire on monday, it left

the 4500 people on board without air conditioning or water. president obama is in south korea on this veterans day. he is remembering the so-called forgotten war. the president praised members of the audience that fought in the korean conflict and the u.s. troops that stand guard today at the border. there will be a full day of remembrances at arlington cemetery. later on this morning, vice president joe biden will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, and just outside the cemetery's walls, americans are gathering at the marine corporal memorial. it celebrates the photo of the flag raising there in iwo jima. believe it or not, thousands of veterans are ignoring money that's owed to them. >> reporter: it's like a winning

lotto ticket that's about to expire. the government has half a billion dollars to give away but can't find enough troops to claim it. >> i was immediately suspicious about it because it seems like a scam. >> reporter: it's not. ian smith earned that money, and so did other soldiers and marines. when their enlistment was up, the pentagon forced them to stay in. >> you have orders to report to the first brigade. >> not me. i get out today. >> you are leaving on the 22nd. you have stop lost. >> like the fictional soldier in stop loss, ian smith finished his enlistment. >> i could not bring myself to acknowledge all of the horrors. we had daily memorial services for people dieing in atrocious ways. >> reporter: ian works at a veterans center in st. louis but remembers when the army told him

you're going back to iraq. >> reporter: they weren't just saying, stay another month? >> right. it's a surge tour, 15 months instead of 12. it was probably the worst news i could have heard at the time. >> reporter: he put off schools and new jobs and some lost relationships, so congress authorized $500 for every month. for ian, it was about $7,000. thousands of veterans forgot to the do the paper work. >> this is no gimmick or trip. >> reporter: even after the president implored vets to get their money, there is still nearly $300 million unclaimed, and vets must apply by december 3rd. >> reporter: did you think it would be this hard to give away money. >> can you imagine that someone coming to you and telling you they are going to play thousands of dollars. >> reporter: the va did direct

mailings, and the pentagon advertised it on every website it could, but even without the courage, this veteran is rushing to file his paper. >> i hope i don't miss the opportunity. i could have prepared sooner. >> if anyone suspects they are eligible for the payment, we want them to apply. >> chris lawrence joining us now from our washington bureau. chris, if these vets are just hearing about this right now, how are they supposed to scrounge up their paper work in just a matter of weeks to meet that deadline? >> reporter: well, all they have to do is go to defense. gov. there are a ton of folks to work out the kinks from that point on. congress set aside $530 million for these troops. more than half of that is still sitting out there. i asked the pentagon, why are we so wedded to this dwes 3rd.

if you still have 50,000, 60,000 people out there who might be eligible, do we pull the money away? this is not a lottery ticket. they earned the money. he says congress is keeping a close eye on the proceedings, how many people are filing and how many are getting paid. so perhaps there is a little bit of wiggle room in the lame duck session if enough people are still out there that maybe, maybe, they bump the date up again. >> chris lawrence in washington, appreciate that. the greatest generation is passing on its memories of world war ii to the next generation. students are getting a living history lesson from the people who were actually on the front lines. in about 30 minutes from now, we talk to an 85-year-old vet and a sixth grader spends this veterans day together in new orleans. that crippled carnival "splendor" is about eight miles

from san diego. an engine fire on monday left the 4500 people on board without air conditioning and hot water. paul vercammen is in san diego joining us live. they are inching ever so closer thanks to the tug vessels. give me an idea what awaits them. >> reporter: here's what we're expects right now, just a little while, maybe a half hour -- don't forget, this is it a massive ship and it will peek its head right over my shoulder in san diego bay and this is all glued together because behind you can see coronado island and that is where the uss ronald reagan is stationed. the military helped out with a lot of the "splendor's" issues, and the ronald reagan brought supplies. it was quite an ordeal. it was supposed to be a seven-day cruise to the mexican riviera, and just as they got under way, the engine fire, what the passengers have described to

us lately here at cnn, long lines for the toilet and long lines for food and they have all been getting antsy because usually you have various shore stops, and people get off and get out and about and get on land and enjoy the vacation. it's been tough, but relief came via the uss ronald reagan, and the coast guard has done a good job supporting and helping the ship. we expect to see the ship in just about a half hour coming into san diego bay. >> family members of a lot of the passengers, they're not there in san diego, or are they? >> reporter: they're not here yet because this was quite a twist. you may recall that yesterday afternoon, the people with carnival was saying midday, midday. we have not seen the first trickle of family members yet but once they get word of the early arrival, then we'll start to see family members come on in, and what carnival has

done -- you may have heard they were talking about going into ensenada, mexico but felt there were more hotels in san diego because they need to put up the passengers who came from other parts of the country. they will put them up and pay for their family's trip. >> this ultimately cost carnival hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of dollars. paul vercammen, thank you very much. we will get a tally, i'm sure. carnival will share that with us as soon as they calculate all of those numbers. turning to politics now, nine days after the election, and we still have one undecided senate race, in alaska. the latest count of write-in votes appears encouraging for lisa murkowski and quite troubling for her opponent joe miller. shannon travis joins us now from juneau. travis, where do things stand?

>> reporter: where they stand are that senator murkowski could you ski is probably very happy this morning with the way things are going, and her opponent joe miller is probably hoping to still have the last laugh. we are here in the room in juneau where the vote counting will continue. there was a lot of the furious activity yesterday but let's check through the final unofficial numbers that we got yesterday at the close of the counting. out of 19,000 write-in ballots that they counted, just over 19,000, senator murkowski is pulling just over 89% of them that are confirmed, clear, unambiguous votes for her. these are unofficial. they are not being added to her actual vote tally. they are being sorted, being put in a stack, if you will, to say, these are clear votes for her. about 8%, just over 8%, almost 8.5 are votes being counted for her but being challenged, again, just being sorted into a box, if you will, saying, hey, these are

votes for her. basically, what this means is about 97% of these votes are being sorted in her favor and that looks really, really positive for the senator. >> give me an idea because there's a legal challenge here that jim miller is launching. where does that fight go? >> reporter: yeah, i mean, it's a big legal challenge. basically, joe miller is saying that the state is evaluating voter intent. if the ballot is marked incorrectly, it says lisa murkowski but misspells her name or says lisa m., an official here is voting that that counts for her. joe miller wants that to stop and filed a lawsuit. yesterday, he filed an injunction to stop those ballots from being counted. the judge, the court wouldn't issue that but is going to hear arguments. this is going to be a pro-tacted legal battle. only time will tell. >> thank you, shannon trafbs from juneau, alaska.

appreciate that. performer kanye west tweeting about his "today" show interview, and he's not happy with mat hauer. we're getting the lowdown in our showbiz update. what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. so i can't have any? if you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol... and live with yourself. right. mmm, i worry about your mother. cry herself to sleep every night over my arteries, but have yourself a bowl. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better

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first it was kanye west taking on president bush, and then it was kanye and taylor swift. now it's kanye and matt lauer. a.j. hammer has our showbizup date. >> they had an uncomfortable interview. kanye turned a heartfelt apology to george w. bush into another controversial moment. he was trying to apologize for calling bush a racist but when

the program was taped, kanye felt he was being manipulated and went on a twitter rant afterward and said the interview was brutal and he's done with talking to the press. everyone was watching this morning and you can see from the interview that west and lauer weren't have a comfortable conversation. lauer is trying to get west to react to some video of president obama. let's look at that. >> when you look at his face, what would you say to him. >> pre-looking at his face, i came up here because i wanted to say something right after the fact. i would say -- you know what i'm saying. i don't have to do tv stuff with me. this is reality. this is the real thing going on. >> kanye went on to say that he thought lauer was trying to force his answers. the whole interview is like that, complaining about the tape playing in the background and looking off the camera and telling people to be quiet. he is threatening to no longer do the press.

that may be a good move for kanye. he is a talented man and should focus on his creativity. >> he is scheduled to go on the "today" show in a concert in a couple of weeks. wonder if that will happen. >> he is supposed to be performing, and i think it's this friday. i believe it would be a bad move to do that. i hope everyone can make amends or that will be another controversial kanye moment. >> let's talk about the country music awards last night. no controversy there, or was there? >> no, there wasn't. there were great moments, a few big moments. the big winners were blake shelton and miranda lambert, taking home five awards between the two of them. the big buzz is this woman, oscar winner gwyneth paltrow. she performed a song from her movie coming occupy. she got a standing ovation. a good might for country and a

great night for gwyneth paltrow. she could leave acting and be a country music star. >> she sang a recorded tune for another movie she did a while back. >> with huey lewis. >> you could tell then she could sing. she's really got that country thing going on. >> it suits her. >> a.j. hammer, thank you so much. perhaps you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world. a.j. has it tonight at 5:00 p.m. on hln. a controversial book for sale on amazon.com. the author says it's a guideline for pedophiles. after outcry, the online retailer took it down. we take a look at the legal imapplications of the listing. [ advisor 1 ] what do you see yourself doing one week,

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now within view of the san diego coast, the carnival "splendor" is just a couple of miles away from shore. the 4500 people who have been on board since monday without hot water and without electricity, now they're finally going to be on land. that voyage will now soon come to an end, at least the voyage at sea. a lot of folks have to get on a bus and travel about two miles -- two hours north to be reunited with family members. we're keeping a close watch on the carnival "splendor" and it's voyage back should shore.

am son has removed a book that's a guide tore pedophiles. the author calls the self-published ebook a self-help manual for pedophile. it sets pound dris for pedophiles that should not be crossed. people expressed outrage that amazon would even list the book. the author says he published it to counter unfair portrayals of pedophiles in the media. >> every time you see them on television, they are murderers, rapists. that's not a representation of the sexuality. >> avery freeman is in cleveland. does amazon have the legal responsibility -- has it crossed the line -- to remove this book because people have complained about it? >> well, you know, it sounded

like a major constitutional blowup here, frederica. it fizzled out, why? because amazon responded to the people and objecting to its listing the book and, therefore, they removed it. the constitutional issue, the ishl of freedom of expression or reading whatever you want to read evaporated because they gave into the comments of those who objected to. >> when the author and some of his supporters say this is kren shoreship because amazon.com would no longer make this available, you say this does not have a legal leg? >> well, it's clearly seven shoreship but is it unlawful. this isn't like a public library being shut down because the first amendment prohibits government from interfering with freedom of the press and freedom of association and freedom of

distribution, and what amazon did at least in my judgment is responded to concerns by share holders and by market forces and realized, oh, my goodness, there's going to be a boycott and all of the other products we're trying to sell may be adversely impacted, and, therefore, we're going to shut the book down. bottom line, yes, censorship, yes. >> other controversial books might encounter the same fate? >> well, you know, that's actually a much larger issue that you've identified and that is, at what point does a private company -- is it responsible for disseminating anything people want to read. after all in a free society, it should be that way, but when you come to very controversial issues that border on, in many instances, criminal activity, private companies have that right. amazon decided this what we want to do here. they shut the book down, so to the extent that controversial books have been shut out, this is one, and, frankly, we

understand what they did because it had nothing to do with the constitution. it had everything to do with market forces. >> avery freidman, thank you so much. good to see you. >> see you face to face. >> and that, too. thanks so much, avery. time now to travel across country. first stop, springfield, ohio, where a planned demolition of a smoke tack tower went wrong. that 275 foot stack felt toward a 12,000 volt power line and two power generating buildings. the stack was supposed to land in a nearby dirt field. workers ran for cover and thankfully no one was hurt. in staten island, new york, it's already turkey day in this neighborhood. the residents there say this site is not that appetizing to

them. dozens of wild turkeys have invaded their neighborhoods. they graze on the grass, block street traffic and leave behind their unwelcome calling cards. ♪ and finally, to tulsa, oklahoma, a class of preschoolers honored our nation's troops on this veterans day. the kids from metro christian academy read essays and poems. this happened yesterday, and they did that in front of 300 veterans. they plan to write letters to military people currently on active duty. one is a member of the greatest generation. the other could become the greatest fan on this veterans day. we'll show you how some americans are learning history from the men who actually shaped it.

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try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. live pictures right now of the carnival "splendor" within view of the coast with passengers dealing with no hot water or hot meals since monday, the end is in sight. the end of what was a miserable trip after the engine problems on the carnival "splendor" cruise liner. it is almost 10:30 on the east coast, and almost 7:30 a.m. out west. here's what has us talking in the newsroom. president obama and other world leaders are attending the

g-20 summit in seoul, south korea. it is expected to focus on currency and economic growth worldwide. google reportedly fired the employee that leaked news about the company-wide pay hike. they announced they plan to give 10% raises to all of their employees. it was leaked to the media. a google spokesman refused to comment on the issue. fewer people filed for unemployment benefits last week. initial claims for jobless benefits dropped by 24,000 to 435,000, the lowest in nearly four months. it's thursday, and that means it's time for our 30-second pitch, a chance for one of our viewers to reach out to prospective employers and tell them why they should be hired. on this veterans day, we're talking to terroristen, who

served seven years in the u.s. navy as a hospital corpsman. he enlisted after the 9/11 attacks. he is completed his mba work at the university of pittsburgh and says his ultimate dream job is to be an investment banker. he joins us from pittsburgh with his 30-second pitch. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> you graduated and will be ending that program, right, come april and you are hoping to land something right away? >> yes. i hope to do so, thank you. >> what has it been like, as you have been putting the feelers out to see what the markets are like and what the prospects of you landing are job are? >> as of right now, the job market is improving, but not as much as we hoped. hopefully come in april, it will get better.

>> this is your shot. give us your 30-second pitch for the employers who need to be paying attention to you. >> absolutely. i am an mba candidate at the university of pittsburgh. i have seven years of leadership experience in the united states navy. i'm creative, intelligent, highly motivated, and have strong interest in investment banking industry, and i really hopethat you can give me a chance to be part of your team. so that i can help you development comprehensive financial solutions that meet the needs of your global clients. >> we are wondering, are you willing to move anywhere? >> yes. actually, i am, frederica. >> okay. fan traffic.

-- fantastic. how can a prospective employer locate you? >> i am on facebook, of course, and also linkedin with the name tristan metroze. >> thank you so much. the best of luck to you and thank you for your service. >> thank you very much. >> if you are out of work and want to sell yourself to prospective employers, let us know, send us a resumé and letter to 30second.com, and if you want to hire our pitchers, go to our blog, cnn.com/kyra. their information is there so you all can connect. there are over 23 million military vets in the u.s., and on this veterans day, we pause to say thank you to all of those brave men and women who have answered the call of duty. take a look right now, live

pictures of arlington national cemetery where vice president joe biden will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns next hour. today hasn't always been veterans day. it started outs a armistice day on november 11th, 1919, exactly one year after the treaty of ver say ended the first world war. this is an old photo of a chicago parade that year. congress declared the day a federal holiday in 1938, and in the aftermath of the car reian war, armistice day became veterans day day. our troops past and present have helped shape american history, and today at the national museum in new orleans, the greatest generation is swapping stories with the youngest generation. instead of a call to arms, it's been dubbed a call to ears. robert wolf volunteers at the

museum, sharing his experiences with the army's 343rd infantry regiment and steven swazo is a sixth grader, one of dozens of students taking it all in today. it looks like a very great turnout there. so, robert, give me an idea, you know, what kinds of stories -- how detailed you're getting with a lot of these young people about your experiences. >> well, mostly, we are making a valiant effort to try to help them imagine what it was like to live at that time. it was quite a different time. and it was one of those situations where everybody in the country was involved, and it's a real effort of imagination to begin to think that one is participating in it.

stefan here is one of our best customers here at the museum. he's been here a number of times, and it's a pleasure to talk with him because he is interestedin almost everything. i was talking to him before we went on about the higgins boat. we're sitting in front of a higgins boat, an lcvp, and we're talking about what the contribution was of mr. higgins, and the higgins corporation. that's one of aren't this museum is in new orleans. >> it really is it a beautiful museum. >> we were looking at pictures of you. you were 18 years old when you served. i wonder, you know, stefan, when you hear a firsthand account from mr. wolfe about his experience in the war, what most surprises you about what it was to serve in world war ii. >> well, to me, what surprises

me is how much effort they really had to put to defeat these people. i mean, it's amazing. it's no wonder that we have a veterans day. i mean, with all of the valor, bravery, and loyalty they showed during this war, it's obvious that they deserved it. >> and, so, stefan, had you ever heard of this first-person account stories before meeting mr. wolfe? >> yes. i have been spoken to many veterans during my time at this museum. there's -- almost every day, there's veterans here, so i take every opportunity i can get to speak to them. >> mr. wolfe, how important is it in your view that so many young people are coming out, not just today, but on a regular basis, school children come in, and the likes of you and other vets are there to enhance the displays that are there at the world war ii museum with your first-person accounts?

>> well, it's one of the more important things in the museum, but it's not only the school children who come in. increasingly, we're getting adult children and adult grandchildren of veterans who come in, and they are in some ways even more interested in the stories that we have to tell than the school children are, and it's very gratifying to be able to give them some sense of what it was like to live in those times. i'm generally taken aback when people want to thank me for my service because i didn't volunteer for anything. i did what everybody did at the time and what i'm sure everybody would do if called upon to do it again. >> well, then, maybe we need to rephrase it and say that we're grateful for your service because i think every american

feels that way, grateful for your service and dedication. mr. robert wolfe, and stefan suazo, enjoy your day and pass onto your fellow vets that we are all very grateful for what you have done. >> thank you. >> no problem, thanks. so, for ways that you can honor our troops this veterans day, and throughout the year, visit our impact your world page at cnn.com/impact. back in the 80's, it was really tough for me and my family. i was living on welfare and supporting a family of four. after i got the job at walmart, things started changing immediately. then i wrote a letter to the food stamp office. "thank you very much, i don't need your help any more." you know now, i can actually say i bought my home. i knew that the more i dedicated... the harder i worked, the more it was going to benefit my family.

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legendary persian hero that fights the faux with weapons. they are trying to take a slice out of the western monopoly on the market. now, to spain, a new spanish neighborhood hoping to attract young homeowners is naming a treat after the super mario game character. the cartoon plumber turns 25 this year. the street will be in a subdivision still under construction. the neighborhood is designed for young first-time home buyers. an age group that grew up with video games, including nintendo's mario. residents decided through an online poll to name their streets after the video games. other planned streets will be named for sonic the hedgehog and space invaders. president obama has been fighting against extending tax

cuts for the wealthy. now a top aide says he's willing to go along with it.

the jockeying for leadership posts is going on right now on capitol hill but one contest seems to be over. dana bash is at the cnn politics -- no, you are not. you're there on capitol hill. >> i am. >> what do you have for us? >> reporter: that's right. you're talking about the leadership post. michelle bachman, a tea participant favorite, she was running for the number three spot in the new house republican

leadership. she dropped her bid last now because jeb hensarling had it locked up. she will support him but continue to push tea party ideals. second item, one of the biggest fights in the next few weeks will be extending the bush era tax cuts which will expire at the end of the year. the president has said that he only wants to extend those for middle-class americans but his top adviser david axelrod is saying, maybe we have to look at those for the wealthiest americans because of what happened in the election. he said, we have to deal with the world as we find it. the world of what it takes to get things done. interesting comments from david axelrod. >> meantime, christine o'donnell running for the senate seat out of delaware is back again. she's not going away or running off into the sunset. different form but back. >> reporter: very different

forum. she was on the tonight show last night. you would have expected this. she has been offered a lot of things for her future, including a book deal and reality show. she says she is interested in maybe doing a television program on keeping the government honest on government accountability. i have to admit that reality shows are one of my guilty pleasures. >> no, not you? >> reporter: i know, i know. don't you think it would be an interesting thing to see her do a reality show. we were coming up with names back in the office. i won't give you all of them, but "real world with christine o'donnell." why not? >> i think that's very safe. why not? where do you have time to watch reality tv because you're always planted somewhere there on capitol hill? >> tea video. >> oh, yeah. i have to get hip with that. so we will have another

political update one hour from now. for all of the latest political news, go to our website cnnpolitics.com. >> cnn's newest primetime program "parker spitzer" has been challenging people with ways to cut the federal budget. >> what would you do with social security? >> unfortunately, it needs to be means tested. it's a $700 billion year program, the heart of the budget, and we're going to have to say to the better off elderly, people already retired, and this will be seen as unfair but it's unavoidable. you're going to have to have your benefits means tested. >> explain what that means? >> we'll look at your assets and private income, and if it's above a certain amount, let's say $50,000 a year private income, we have to ratchet back your social security check. >> so social security will go more and be focused upon those

who need the money, not exclusively upon what you paid in which has been the equation until now? >> that's right. >> watch the show tonight 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. on this veterans day, live view right now of arlington national cemetery. we know that defense secretary gates is there. we also understand congressman john boehner is there, and vice president joe biden will be laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. on the west coast, we're continuing to watch what's taking place with the carnival "splendor," that crippled cruise liner right there, now in the view of that san diego port. folks in perhaps just a few hours will actually be able to get off that crippled ship where there was no hot water, no hot meals since monday and there are images there of folks who are just watching the view. our paul vercammen, senior producer, is joining us from san diego. so, how much closer might that

ship be? >> oh, frederica, it is much, much closer. in fact, i think it should get into port pretty quickly. it's turned the corner into san diego's harbor. we can't say it's steaming into port because you see it's being pulled by a flotilla of tugboats. when i was out on the uss ronald reagan, we were watching one poor tugboat straining to pull this along. one of the reasons is that you can't tell from his angle but the carnival "splendor" is more than three football fields long, something liability 113,000 gross tonnage. it's absolutely mass sich. that's why this was such a difficult tafg. once it was disabled they had to figure out how to move it to either ensenada, but they changed there mind and decided to bring is it to san diego. well have the reunion when it

docks here behind me. >> are they a bit ahead of schedule? >> a bit is an understatement. they were talking about admitted day today, and this was yesterday. i think adding in the other tugboat and other favorable conditions allowed them to ratchet things up. they got things done in a hurry. they're way ahead of schedule. >> i'm wondering. what kind of welcoming committee is in place. they haven't had hot meals or showers. yes, they had spam and cold sandwiches, been in the dark for a long time. what's been put in place, if anything, to welcome them or give them creature comforts? >> well, i believe they've set up various drinks and other things and other hot food behind me, and the other welcoming committee will be for a lot of people to see their relatives who will be relieved to find out they survived their vacation. insert your own joke there. >> openfully folks have a sense of humor after all they've been

through, but i imagine there are a lot of folks who are steamy over their vacations being spoiled? >> i think steamy is the operative word after you lose your air conditioning. >> yes, and smelly, too. but at least they made it to shore safely. as far as we understand, no one has gotten injured or gotten ill during this end of the journey, right? >> that's exactly right. i was talking to the coast guard a short while ago and disappearing from the frame a little earlier was the coast guard cutter morganthal. they were the guardian angel. they made sure everyone was okay, and just to make sure there were no surprise deliveries or births, and no major trauma. they didn't even have to do any repair of broken arms or anything like that. not that you would expect it because of an engine going out

but throughout a cruise, things happen. so far, so good. everyone is in good health. they may be angry and peeved but nothing major going on aboard the carnal "splendor" in terms of medical issues. >> it is really close, just over your shoulder. three football fields long, that's extraordinary, pulling into port there at san diego. thank you so much.

>> notes i never thought that this would be the way you'd come back home ♪ every day at this time, we honor the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in iraq or afghanistan for us. we call it home and away. today we're lifting up colonel james edward london from new york. he was killed in a road side bomb attack on may 30th, 2007. his mother sent us a tribute saying he was the light of my life and i have so much respect for the way he lived his life, his courage and determination. he accomplished more in his

short 20 years than many men do in 70 years end quote. james mom ends with this. we miss you all day every day. if you have a loved one that you'd like us to honor, he's all you have to do. go to cnn.com/homeandaway, type in your service member's name in the upper right search field, pull up the profile. send us your thoughts and your pictures, and we'll keep the memory of your hero alive. ♪ you step out there not even thinking about yourself ♪ . now we have a solution for wrinkles. neutrogena anti wrinkle with retinol sa smoothes even deep wrinkles. it works...beautifully. neutrogena. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ another day ♪ another dollar

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general david petraeus has a message today for u.s. troops, including the thousands under his command in afghanistan. >> well, on this veterans day, let me just say hoowa, hoorah, and air power and also

in alaska as we speak right now.